Watson, who told his story Wednesday aboard the carrier Midway as part of U-T San Diego's series, "The Legacy of WWII," was in a landing craft that was hit before it reached the shore. The impact tore his left leg and stopped his watch. Watson sank below the waves, but a flotation device brought him bobbing back to the surface.

He grabbed a rope on the side of another vessel and was towed to shore.

"There's only one word to describe the beach," he said. "It was absolute, total chaos."

A videotape of Watson's full interview will be posted later in June at utsandiego.com.